Alumni Weekend Information
Alumni Weekend Reunion
Welcome to Alumni Weekend 2026
We’re delighted to welcome you back to the University of Chicago Department of Computer Science for our second annual Alumni Weekend—a chance to reconnect, engage with the department, and experience the latest in research and ideas shaping the field.
Over the course of the weekend, you’ll have the opportunity to:
Reconnect with fellow alumni and members of the UChicago CS community
Attend a panel discussion exploring UChicago’s distinct approach to AI
Hear directly from faculty through a series of lightning talks on emerging research
Step inside our labs to see cutting-edge work in action
Whether you graduated recently or years ago, you remain an important part of the UChicago CS community. We look forward to welcoming you back to campus and sharing this weekend together.
Building Map and Parking
Walking Map From Ida Noyes to Crerar
Events Schedule
Saturday, May 2
9:30 AM – 10:30 AM
Panel: UChicago and the AI Revolution
📍 Ida Noyes Hall
What sets UChicago apart when it comes to AI? Join us for a discussion with top experts as we break down this question.
11:00 AM – 12:30 PM
Lab Tours
📍 John Crerar Library
Want a firsthand look inside some of our cutting edge labs? Join us for a tour!
12:30 PM – 1:30 PM
Lightning Talks
📍 Crerar 390
Five faculty, five minutes each. These talks are designed to brief you on some of the newest research happening in computer science.
Panelists
Rebecca Willett
- Worah Family Professor in the Wallman Society of Fellows, Computer Science, Statistics, and the College
- Faculty Director of AI, Data Science Institute
Rebecca Willett is a Professor of Statistics and Computer Science at the University of Chicago and Faculty Director of AI at the Data Science Institute. Her research interests include network and imaging science with applications in medical imaging, wireless sensor networks, astronomy, and social networks.
Ben Y. Zhao
- Neubauer Professor of Computer Science
Ben Zhao is the Neubauer Professor of Computer Science at University of Chicago. He completed his PhD from Berkeley (2004) and his BS from Yale (1997). He is a Fellow of the ACM, TED/AI speaker, and a recipient of the
NSF CAREER award, MIT Technology Review’s TR-35 Award (Young Innovators Under 35), TIME100/AI (TIME Magazine 100 Most Influential people in AI), Concept Art Association’s Community Impact Award, USENIX Internet Defense Prize, ComputerWorld Magazine’s Top 40 Technology Innovators award, IEEE ITC Early Career Award, and Faculty awards from Google, Amazon, and Facebook. His work has been covered by many media outlets including New York Times, CNN, NBC, ABC, BBC, MIT Tech Review, Wall Street Journal, Forbes, and New Scientist. His current research focuses on mitigating the harms of misused AI.
Henry Hoffmann
- Liew Family Chair of Computer Science
Henry Hoffmann is an Associate Professor in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Chicago. He received the President’s Award for Early Career Scientists and Engineers (PECASE) in 2019. He was granted early tenure in 2018. He is a member of the ASPLOS Hall of Fame. At Chicago he leads the Self-aware computing group (or SEEC project) and conducts research on adaptive techniques for power, energy, accuracy, and performance management in computing systems. He received the DOE Early Career Award in 2015. He has spent the last 18 years working on multicore architectures and system software in both academia and industry.